Montana Whitewater Rafting and Zipline Company near Yellowstone

Float the river that appeared in A River Runs Through It or the iconic Yellowstone River.

By Tori Peglar
, May 17, 2018

A family rafting the Gallatin River north of Yellowstone

Photo courtesy of Montana Whitewater

Floating a river in Montana may be one of the most memorable experiences you have on your vacation.

Offering everything from a leisurely float on a tube to half-day and full-day rafting trips, plus ziplining courses, Montana Whitewater has an adventure for you.

A family floating down the Madison River in inner tubes

Photo courtesy of Montana Whitewater

If watching the rolling mountains pass by as you lounge on an inflatable tube on the sparkling waters of the Madison River sounds like your speed, do it. Montana Whitewater provides shuttles to and from the river from Bozeman and provides all the gear, including inflatable coolers and lines to rope your group of family or friends together.

If you’ve never rafted before or are looking for a family-friendly raft trip, choose the Yellowstone River trip where the put-in is in Gardiner, Mont., in Yellowstone.

Adrenaline seekers will find their hearts pumping through the infamous Mad Mile of continuous class IV rapids along the Gallatin River in between Big Sky, Mont., and Bozeman. And if you want a full-day wilderness experience down the remote Bear Trap Canyon, opt for the Madison River trip where only one other company has a permit to run the stretch.

A guide secures the zipline harness for excited kids ready for a ride.

Photo courtesy of Montana Whitewater

To round out a day, you can even do the popular Zip and Dip packages, enabling you to spend half your day rafting and the other half flying through the Montana sky via zipline. Plus, you save money by going with the package. Otherwise, stay high and dry and ride a zipline over a river or above a historic Montana ranch.